Heater for stock watering tanks



Oct. 5, 1943. L. PFISTERER HEATER FOR STOCK WATERING TANKS Filed March 12, 1941 Patented Oct. 5, 1943 2,331,0sr I HEATER Foas'ijocn vvATEnnyG rises Leo Pfisterer, Gordon,'*Nebr'. w Application March 12, 194l, Serial l\To. 333,996 1 2 Claims. (c1. 126 60) This invention is directed to an improvement in heaters for stock watering tanksortroughs in the use of which the water. in the trough or tank which is usually exposed to temperature changes,

is heated to a degree to render the water properly available to theanimal for drinking bylmelting any accumulated ice and bringing-the water to a more acceptable drinkingtemperature.

7 Stock watering tanks or troughs are ordinarily disposed at different points on the ranch so that the cattle or otheranimals may have convenient access thereto at will. Incold weather the surface water in the tanks or-troughs will freeze and even in the absence of freezing temperature, the water becomes so chilled that the animals will ordinarily refuse to drink. To overcome these disadvantages it has been heretofore proposed to provide. stock watering tank heaters of; Various types which, when necessary, may be bodily placed in the water of the tank or trough, and which, when in place, has its outer'wall more or less highly heated by the burning of fuel in the heater, with the heat of such wall utilized to heat the immediately surrounding water and, through the tendency of this water when heated to rise through the body of the water in the vicinity of the heater, attempt is fmadefto. bring the water,

if merely chilled, to a drinkable temperature, or to melt the surface ice on the water,'if any such has accumulated. 1

Experience has demonstrated that these heretofore proposedstock watering tank heaters lacked desirable efficiency, largely because such heaters act directly on that portion of the Water in the tank immediately surrounding the heater, and as this very limited volume of water becomes heated to even a relatively smalldegree above that Of the remaining water, such heated Water rises in the volume of water in the tank and if the heater is submerged, which is usually the case, therelative ly small volume of heated water comes into contact with the immediately overlying body of cold water which quickly dissipates'the heat'of the rising body of hot water and neutralizes to a large degree any heating efiect thereof on the whole body of water in the tank.

The primary objectof the present invention is the provision of a stock wateringtankheater-in which a relatively small body of the water in the tank is segregated fromthe tank water and high- 1y heated by reason of such segregation, and then delivered from the heater to a point approximating the upper level of water in thetank. The,

the heater, accordsegregated mass'of water in has a restrictedinlet ing to thepresent invention,

communicating withthe-water in thetank-and a restricting outlet for delivering thehighly heated water to thus-provide a circulation throughthe heater of the water of the tank through -the heater,-to ensure notonly the heating of the water to a temperature above that possible with the conventional heaten but the deliveryof that highly heated water to a point near the surface of the water in the tank to avoid, as far as possible, the cooling effect on the surrounding tank water upon the heated-water, before the latterreaches the most'eflective area of use; that is, near the surface ofthewaterin the tank. M

' The invention in general structure includes a more or less conventional heater to be placed in the water ,of thetank including a burner chamber in-which fuel delivered-from a tank, forming part ofIth heater, is burned, and, a water receptacle surrounding the burner chamber in" direct oom-1 munication with the highly heated wall ,of the burner chamber, with such water chamber; having an inlet ,communicationiwith the water, ofthe ,tank, gpreferably at the lowest. point of the water chambenjand fan outlet leading fromthe water chamber for the discharge of the heatedwater at a point approximately orlslightly below the surface, of thejwater'in.the' tank, th outlet being designed for selective restriction in lengthtocompens'ate for different water levels in the tank. f I

The invention further contemplates the provision" of an air chamber surrounding the ,water chamber to insulate such water chamberfrom the direct efiect of the surrounding cold waterfin the tank.

The invention isillustrated in the accompany ing drawing, in which Y Figure 1 is a central vertical section of one form of my invention.

Figure'z is a similar section of anotherformof theinv n n- Figure} is a cross sectionof same on the line 3-3 ofFigure2. p p

I, Figure 4 is a horizontal sectionon the line14;- 4 0fFigure2. J I

For convenience in" understanding the invention, the improved details may be described as applied to a more or tering jtankhe ter, which, as herein illustrated, maybe briefly described as follows.

' ,Thisbonventional typeof heater comprises a base'portion I providing what will be hereinafter termedthe burner chamber-,2. A fuel pipe 3 rises iromjandcommunicatesf with. the burner cham ber' and'diametrically opposite-thepipe 3 a. fur- ,ther, exhaust-pipe section 4 is in communicaless conventional stock wation with the burner chamber. A fuel tank 5 is removably supported on brackets 6 on the pipe 4 and has an outlet controlled by a valve 1 by means of which the fuel from the tank 5 may be fed lengthwise the pipe 3, preferably in a series of drops. A splash plate 8 is arranged in the pipe 3 immediately above the burner chamber and supported on the bottom of the burner chamber is a basket 9 in which the loose portion of fire brick orlike incandescent indicated at ID are adapted to be placed. The fuel as delivered by the valve 1 falls onto the splash plate 8 and is spread and gravitates into the basket- 9 and onto the incandescent material- 10. When ignited, the incandescent material is brought to a point of incandescence very rapidly and the burner chamber is highly heated. When sub.- merged in the stock water tank, the outer wall of the burner chamber will heat the surrounding Water, which water, as it is heated, rises in the water of the tank toward the upper surface. The pipe 4 may be provided with an extension I l of sufficient height to extend abovethe level-of the water in the tank in order to permit escape of the productscf combustion, and a pipe I 2 is arranged adjacent the wall of fuel pipe 3, said pipe being open at the lower end to the burner chamber and opening at'the upper end above the level of the water in the tank to admit the air necessary for combustion of'the fuel. Adoor I3- may be provided to close the upper end of the pipe 3 overlying the valve 1 to permit convenient access to the valve whennecessary to adjust the rate of fuel flow.

In this form of conventional heater, the water immediately surrounding the wall of the burner chamber is heated, but incident. to that'heated condition, will rise toward the upper surface of the water in the tank, with a view to heating that surface and more particularly dissipating any ice which may have accumulated. It is apparent that in this type of heater. the variation in the heat degree betweenthe water heated by the burner chamber and the. colder water surrounded by such heated water would, at best, be comparatively slight before. the heated water would rise. Therefore, notwithstanding the heating capacity of the heater, the effective heating of the water is retarded due to the relatively limited time that the Water under the heat of the burner chamber will remainin contact with that chamber, and the further fact that immediately beyond such burner chamber the heated Water is subjected to the surrounding very much colder water, which, by reason of its very much. larger volume and considerably lower temperature will further reduce the thermal effect of the rising water on the general mass of water in the. tank.

The present invention is designed particularly to overcome these disadvantages. and to not only provide a higher degree of heat in the water from the burner chamber, but also deliver that more highly heated water nearer the surface of the water inthe tank under some degree of protection against the immediately surrounding cold water.

To this end, the inventioncontemplates the provision of a casing M which conforms with, completely surrounds, exceptffor the pipes 3 and 4, and is spaced from. the burner chamber 2. The'spacing of the casing [4 from the wall of the burner chamber defines what will be hereinafter termed the water chamber 15. This water chamber is'provided with an inlet |6 at its lowest point which is in open communication with the water in the tank, and an outlet in the form of a pipe I! leading from the highest point of the water chamber, preferably diametrically opposite the inlet. The pipe I! is made up in separate sections connected by unions or other connections l8, so that this pipe section may be made of any desired length, in accordance with the level of the water in the tank, which is indicated generally at H). The upper end of the pipe ll isdesigned to terminate slightly below the level l9 of water in the tank, but by the disposition of this pipe in sections with the corresponding coupling of the sections in any desired relation, the outlet end of the pipe may be set at will or changed as desired, in accordance with the level of the water in the tank. All of the water chamber below the connection of the outlet l1 thereto is provided with a further valve-controlled outlet 20 which is designed to be normally closed, but which may be opened for the escape of the hot water in the event the water level of the tank reaches a level materially below the discharge from outlet H, in order to provide for delivery of hot water near to, but below the surface of such low-level water.

Inthe form described, it will be noted that there is a restricted volume of water delivered from the tank water to the water chamber I 5, and which, byreason of its restricted volume, is highly heated from the wall of the burner chamber and delivered in this heated condition, and while protected against the surrounding cold water as far as possible by the closed hot water delivery pipe H, which opens only near the upper surface of the water in the tank. By reason of the restricted volume of water in the water chamber 45, and its extremely rapid heating by" the burnerchamber there is ineffect a continuous or substantially continuous flow of water from the tank water through the inlet it, through thewater chamber l5, and through the outlet t1. As a matter of fact, under normal heating conditions, the cold water entering the inlet l6 becomes very highly heated before it reaches the outlet so that there is what may be termed a continuous circulation of water through the water chamber, and its delivery at substantially its maximum temperature to near the surface of the water in the tank.

By reason of this delivery of the highly heated water to point adjacent the surface of the water in the tank, there is.a most effective result from such heated water in either bringing the surface of the water in the tank to a drinkable temperature, or, additionally, melting any accumulated ice on. such tank watersurface.

It will, of course, be apparent that the water inlet 16. to the water chamberv 15 may serve as a drainageopening for any accumulated water in the water chamber when the heater is removed from the tank, and designed for storage or otherwise held for subsequent use.

The construction described provides a water heater for the particular purpose mentioned, which is extremely effective in ordinary drinking troughs or tanks, but where the tank is unusually large, some being, for example, 14 feet in diameter, it has been found that the volume of heated water delivered from the improved heater described is not as completely efficient in such large volumes'of Water as in smaller tanks. Obviously, any deficiency of this character may be largely overcome by subjecting the water in the water chamber 15- to a higher degree of heat.

This result is accomplished in the form illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

A second casing 2| is arranged encircle the outer wall of the water chamber l5, this casing 2| being spaced from the water chamber to provide a relatively narrow enclosing air space which, by completely enveloping the water chamber, serves as a heat insulator and effectively protects the otherwise natural influence of cold water of the tank on the outer wall of the water chamber I5 in the form previously described. Of course, the air chamber 22 is formed to permit uninterrupted passage of the inlet 16, the connection of the outlet pipe l1, and connection of the low water level outlet 20. The air space 22 may be provided with a breather pipe 23, which leads above the level of the water of the tank. The pipe 23 terminates near the bottom of the fuel tank 5 and as close to the valve 1, to utilize the heat to warm the fluid in the tank when low grade oil is used. Thus the oil is maintained fluid for proper flow even if the temperature is low.

In this form of heater, it is quite apparent that the water in the water chamber will become more highly heated by the burner chamher by reason of the insulating protection of the air chamber. Therefore, the water rising through the outlet 11 will be more highly heated and thus more effective in its results where the volume of the water in the tank is unusually large.

The heater is a complete unit, designed to be placed in the water in the watering tank or trough, preferably in the center of the water, 1

and rests on the bottom of the tank or trough.

' Ordinarily, the water of the heater will hold it in place, but in order to avoid its displacement, under the agitation of the water by the animals in drinking, the base I may be extended beyond the heater proper to receive appropriate weights 24, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

It is to be understood that the description herein of the conventional type of heater which the present invention is designed to improve is merely for the purpose of a better understandto completely I to any type, of stock watering tank or trough heater to which they are applicable,any

changes in the specific relation of the parts made necessary by a variation in the conventional type of heater employed from that described, being contemplated, within the spirit of the present invention.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A water heater for water-containing stock tanks, comprising a unit to be removably submerged in the water of, and rest on the bottom of, the tank, said unit including a completely submerged burner chamber, a burner in the chamber, means for'deliveringfuel to said burner, an exhaust pipe leading from the burner chamber, a water-receiving chamber of materially-restricted-volume as compared to that of the tank, said chamber including a Wall completely surrounding and spaced from the wall of the burner chamber, means for admitting water to the Water chamber from the tank, and means for delivering heated water from the water chamber to the water of the tank near its surface, the water in the water-chamber defln ing a materially restricted isolated volume of tank water to be quickly and highly heated by the heat of the burner chamber and to be distributed in such highly heated condition to a particular area of the tank water, whereby to more rapidly subject a selected area of tank water to a desired temperature than would be possible if the entire volume of tank water was subjected to a similar heat for the same period.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, wherein a second chamber is provided, said second chamber including a wall completely surrounding the water chamber in relatively narrow spaced relation thereto, said second chamber being closed against the Water of the tank andlagainst the water of the water chamber, whereby toprovide. a dead-air insulating area between the heated water in the water chamber and the relatively colder water in the tank.

LEO PFISTERER, 

